Golden Eyes
by intertwingular
Summary: AU. What if Jack was the Nightmare King, called upon by the Guardians to help defend the world against Kozmotis Frosti, threatening the world with a new Ice Age? The Guardians have gathered, trying to convince the isolated, Jack Sable, to help fulfil his duties as a Guardian. But he isn't about to make it easy for them. ON INDEFINITE HIATUS


Golden Eyes

Chapter One

The Nightmare King

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><p>"I hope the yetis treat you well," North greeted the spirit.<p>

"Yeah, I love being shoved into a sack and tossed through a magic portal!" he exclaimed sarcastically.

"You already know everyone, yes?" North asked. "Bunny, Tooth and Sandy, Sandy? Wake up" He gestured at each person before nudging the Sandman awake.

"I've got to say," he said, swinging his staff around, "I wasn't expecting this." He turned sharply, his golden gaze fixed on the figures in front of him, "What might I have done, for you to call me here?" He watched as Nicholas St. North opened his mouth to speak, before he interrupted, "I am on the Naughty List? Oh wait, of course I am, aren't I? After all, I am still physically a child, and yet, I've never got anything. To be on your lists you have to be a child anyways. But of course, none of you ever cared about that! So, why am I here?"

The other figures gazed at the infamous Nightmare King before North spoke up, "We need you. Man in Moon has declared you Guardian!"

The young dark man eyes narrowed, "After centuries of isolation, you call me here as a prank? Honestly, and I thought I was the Boogeyman! You can sink no lower."

E. Aster Bunnymund, very unhappy with the arrangements, stepped forward angrily, "Trust me, if it was up to me you wouldn't even be let in here! But MiM wants you here, so here you will stay!"

"So you only need me to help with your petty little problems before casting me out again? I think not," the figure scoffed, shadows darkening as he prepared to disappear.

"Wait!" the Tooth Fairy shouted. He turned his head, gold meeting violet; she met his gaze head on, refusing to show fear, "He's trying to take over the world. You are a Guardian, the Guardian of Fear, but a Guardian, nonetheless! You were created to use the fear to warn children away from dangers! To protect them!"

He whirled around to face them once again, "I have!" he snarled, eyes blazing, "I tried, and what is my reward? Being treated as a monster! Cast out because I scare little kids! Where are my believers? Why do parents regale their kids with stories of wonder, dreams, hope, and memories?" brandishing his staff at each of their dominions, "And yet, every parent uses me as a scapegoat, to scare their kids into behaving, and then telling them I don't exist! I'm just a story, just a legend, just pretend!"

The other Guardians watched as he raved, shadows darkening and lengthening, taking on his form, as if ten of him was in the room, his voice echoing from all sides.

"And the few believers I do have believe I live to torment them with nightmares, believe I like to put the monsters under the bed that I like to eat them! No! I have lived long enough to know when I am being tricked! I can see in your eyes, all of your eyes, that you do not trust me! Well, the feelings mutual, I don't trust you either!" He stopped, breathing heavily, glaring at the Guardians, and just waiting for them to tell him to go away, just like everyone else.

Sandy stepped forward as if to comfort the spirit, but he stepped away as if burned. Sandy halted, his hands falling to his sides.

Bunny stepped forward angrily, "I knew this was a bad idea," as he brandished a paw at the dark figure, "He's nothing but a troublemaker. What does he know about bringing joy to children?"

Sandy immediately created a stop sign with his dreamsand.

The golden eyes narrowed, "No one asked you, Kangaroo!"

The ears of the Eater Bunny flattened, "What did you call me? I am not a kangaroo mate!"

A sardonic smirk was painted on the pale face, "If you're not a kangaroo," he leaned in, "then what are you?"

"I'm a bunny, the Easter Bunny. People believe in _me_!" he shot back. The smirk fell, a stricken look was there instead, quickly replaced with a blank, apathetic expression.

"Bunny!" Tooth exclaimed. Sandy was watching with a frown on his face.

Bunny immediately knew he had gone too far, but it was too late the take the words back, the damage had been done. The figure turned, shadows converging around him, ready to take him away from whoever had hurt him, had managed to get through his carefully constructed barriers.

"Wait!" North took a deep breath, "We need you. He will not stop because of us. Your powers will help defeat him. If you don't many children will die. Our powers will fade. You are a Guardian, always have been. We were...we were wrong to treat you as an outcast. But we need you now."

"Why me? Why now?" his golden eyes pleading.

"You have something very special inside, and we can't do it without you." North reached over and touched his shoulder. He tensed, but didn't reject the action.

Bunnymund rolled his eyes, but didn't say a word. He knew what was at stake, he knew just how much they had to lose, and he knew just how much they needed Fear on their side. Toothiana and Sanderson watched with bated breaths.

The Boogeyman heaved a sigh, "Who is it?"

Sandy, Toothiana beamed and Bunnymund sighed, this would not go smoothly. North practically jumped for joy, eyes a lit with happiness. He took his hand off his shoulder and waved at the globe, where the edges of the land masses were frosted, "Kozmotis Frosti, Frost, bringer of Snow and Ice. This is why we need your help Jack Sable."

The young obsidian haired boy, forever stuck at seventeen, frowned. Frost was a big threat, he knew exactly how much fear cold and ice brought to people. He was the Guardian of Fear after all. He knew his story. A new spirit, caused a lot of trouble, unable to be seen as he was very new, there were no legends of Frost. Jack felt a little bit of sympathy, he knew what it was like to not be believed in, the terrible feeling of being ripped apart when someone walked right threw you. The terror as you realized you could not been seen.

He looked up and realized they all were staring at him expectantly, even the Bunny. He looked at the globe, full of sparkling lights that all believed in the Guardians, all except him, the edges creeping with frost. If he didn't help they could all be extinguished, forever. He knew better than everyone, darkness could drive someone to madness. He knew it had happened to him.

He met North's eyes and nodded, "I'll do it."

Bunny groaned, while the rest of them cheered. North made a move to grab Jack in a hug, but the Nightmare King backed away, lifting his staff warningly. North looked disappointed, but he knew that the centuries of isolation had taken its toll on the Fear spirit.

Then a yeti bursts in shouting in some odd language no one but North can understand. His face turned into fear, a he turned horrified to Tooth, "Frost is at the Tooth Palace!"

Tooth gasped in horror, as the Guardians looked worried, all except for Jack. He could feel the fear radiating off of everyone, flooding him with power. He took a deep breath, relishing in the feeling of energy rushing through his limbs, before opening his glowing golden eyes and grinned, "Let's go then."

North shouted with joy at his sentence, "To the sleigh!"

They made their way through the Workshop until they reached the runway. "There's no way I'm climbing into some rickety, old," the sleigh was revealed, high powered thrusters and chrome metal wings, with thrashing and powerful looking reindeer, "sleigh," Jack exclaimed.

Bunny looked at the sleigh dubiously, "I think I'll be better off taking my tunnels, mate." He turned and made to walk away, but North grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and threw him in. He turned to Jack who was the only one not in the sleigh, as Sandy and Toothiana had already clambered in, "What are you waiting for Jack? Not chicken like Bunny?"

Jack smirked as Bunny made a noise of protest, "No, just wondering if you're interested in a little race, me against your sleigh."

North laughed, "You believe you can beat my sleigh, my reindeer?"

Jack smirked, "Yeah, I do."

There was a brief stare-off until Tooth interrupted, "Hello, Tooth Palace under attack by Frost!"

North quickly spoke, "Can you fly?"

Jack shook his head, "No, but she can."

North frowned, "She?"

Jack smirked again as he waved his staff, and whistled. His staff glowed with golden light, and the shadows coalesced and converged, racing towards Jack until it took a form of a giant horse, made entirely out of black sand, with golden eyes. He laughed at the befuddled looks of the Guardians, "Meet Night," he giggled, "Get it, Night and she's a mare, nightmare?"

"Yeah, yeah, we've got it, let's go, "Bunnymund grumbled.

Jack swung himself onto Night's back as North jumped onto the sleigh, "You ready old man?"

"Hah, buckle up!" he shouted to his passengers.

"Where are the bloody seatbelts?" Bunnymund shouted in panic.

"Hah, that was just expression!" North yelled, "Hyah!" He cracked the reins and both the reindeer and Night started down the runway.

"I hope you like the loop-di-loops!" North exclaimed.

"I hope you like carrots!" Bunny said, looking green as Sandy raised his hands like he was in a rollercoaster.

Jack just laughed as he kept pace with them on his nightmare, a real laugh that the other Guardians looked surprised at how the Nightmare King was acting. It reminded them, that while he was really centuries old, he was still just a child. A child they had failed. The only child in the world they wouldn't and didn't protect. But for the moment they cast those thoughts out of their head, for they had other things to think about.

For if Kozmotis Frosti thought he could get away with threatening the kids of the world, he had another thing coming. For now, they had fear on their side, Frost can't win.

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><p><strong>Hi! It's HuntingStarlight here. I am continuing WhisperingMelodies's Rise of the Guardian's oneshot, Golden Eyes. Make note that the story was never discontinued, it was a oneshot. So, I have permission to continue it, and all credit belongs to WhisperingMelodies. The first chapter is her writing, although all the rest will be mine. Thank You!<strong>

** HuntingStarlight**


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